Green Papaya

This is a Vietnamese restaurant that goes beyond the standard fare. I had a roasted quail special starter, with a dipping sauce, that was very nice, given that there's not a lot of meat on a quail. Andrea had a shrimp paste on baguette that was toasted in the oven, served with its own dipping sauce, that was different and tasty.

My main course was the caramelized sea bass served in a pepper sauce (two chiles, as hot as it gets), which satisfied my craving for exotic Asian fish (I had to pass on the whole flounder special -- too big and too expensive). Our other main course was the grilled pork with vermicelli, very ample and nicely done.

The cocktails -- variations on a pina colada and a margarita with an Asian flair -- were cold and delicious. I had glass of Pinot Grigio with the sea bass that cut through the pepper sauce perfectly.

It was a rainy Sunday night, so not very crowded in any of the Bethesda restaurants. Green Papaya has a serene decor and high ceilings, tables far apart and a nice separation from the bar -- it all makes for a restful and relaxing interlude. Welcome on a cold, blustery night was the heavy curtain they had shielding the dining room from the open door. Maybe because of the weather, the wait staff seemed to be in zombie mode, curt to the point of being rude, but they got the job done.

I had a lot of Vietnamese food of the simpler variety in Paris. I'm still more comfortable with it than, say, Thai or garden variety Chinese. This restaurant is a cut above in any case, but still with the recognizable Vietnamese nuance.